Master Sgt. Nathan Sommers, a 25-year veteran of the military and a decorated soloist in the U.S. Army Band Chorus, claims he was forcibly retired from the Army due to his religious and conservative political beliefs.

A member of the U.S. Army Band said he was forced out of the Army for having anti-Obama bumper stickers on his personal car, serving Chick-fil-A sandwiches at a party, and reading books written by conservative authors such as Sean Hannity, a federal lawsuit alleges.

Master Sgt. Nathan Sommers, a 25-year veteran of the military and a decorated soloist in the U.S. Army Band Chorus, claims he was forcibly retired from the Army due to his religious and conservative political beliefs. I first told you about Sommers last year in a series of exclusive Fox News reports.

John Wells, an attorney representing Sommers, called him a "true hero" who lost his career while trying to stand up for his religious beliefs. He alleges that Sommers drew the ire of his superiors because of his belief in traditional marriage.

"Those who protect our rights must be allowed to exercise them," Wells said. "Master Sgt. Sommers did nothing to interfere with good order and discipline. He was the perfect soldier."

Sommers, who was based at Fort Myer in Washington, D.C., is the recipient of an Army commendation medal and was a soloist at the funeral of former First Lady Betty Ford.

The U.S. Army Band Chorus, known as "Pershing's Own," betrayed the core principles of the United States Army, Wells argued.

"Congress has enacted laws to protect the free expression of religious beliefs in the armed forces," Wells said. "The Army Band broke those laws, and they will be held accountable."

"I am certain that General 'Black Jack' Pershing, a true leader, is spinning in his grave at the actions taken by the organization that bears his name," he added.

The lawsuit calls for Sommers to be returned to active-duty service with full pay and benefits.

I reached out to the military hoping they might shed some light on Sommers' allegations. But a spokesman said the Army does not comment on pending litigation.

Sommers first ran into trouble with his superiors when he put several anti-Obama bumper stickers on his car. The stickers read, "NOBAMA," and "The Road to Bankruptcy is Paved with Ass-Fault." That particular sticker included the image of a donkey. Sommers was ordered to remove the stickers, the lawsuit alleges.

"The Army took no action against those soldiers with pro-Obama bumper stickers," Wells said.

Sommers also was criticized for reading books by Sean Hannity, David Limbaugh and Mark Levin while in uniform. In one incident, he was backstage before a performance reading Limbaugh's The Great Destroyer when a superior officer told him that he was causing "unit disruption" and was offending other soldiers.

"I wasn't reading aloud," Sommers told me. "I was just reading privately to myself. I was told they were frowning on that and they warned me that I should not be reading literature like that backstage because it was offensive."

advertisement

It's a good thing Sommers wasn't caught reading my latest book, God Less America. He probably would've been tossed into a prison cell at Fort Leavenworth.

But the incident that really seemed to set off the chain of events that led to his forced retirement happened in 2012 and involved plump, juicy chicken breasts.

Sommers decided to serve Chick-fil-A sandwiches at his promotion party—in honor of the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

That tweet came under fire from his superior officers, according to an official military document.

"As a Soldier you must be cognizant of the fact that your statements can be perceived by the general public and other service members to be of a nature bordering on disrespect to the President of the United States," the document stated.

Sommers told me he paid for the party with personal money, not government funds—and for the record—he served the sandwiches because his family likes to eat more chicken.

"I had no idea a Chick-fil-A sandwich would get me in trouble," he said.

Wells said those incidents led to "trumped-up charges," and Sommers was eventually given a sub-standard evaluation, which he immediately appealed.

On July 31 the Army's Quality Management Panel ordered him discharged from the military.

Since Sommers had enough years on his record to retire, he was allowed to do so. The lawsuit was filed the next day.

"Just because someone joins the military, they do not give up their rights as a citizen," Wells said. "Unfortunately, in this world of political correctness, some Commanders believe they can force their will on subordinates."

As I document extensively in God Less America, there is a clear and present danger for Christians serving in the armed forces. This administration seems hell-bent on marginalizing Christianity and punishing Christians who refuse to stifle their beliefs.

Your Turn

Please be considerate and respectful of your fellow posters. If Jesus and your mother would not approve of your writing, you should revise your comment before submitting.

Use standard writing style and punctuation. Complete sentences and proper grammar will help others understand you.

Do not use profanity, obscenities, abusive language or otherwise objectionable content (as determined by Charisma Media moderators, in their sole discretion). Comments should not harass, abuse or threaten another's personal safety or property, make false statements, defame or impersonate someone else.

Do not question others' faith just because you disagree with them. It adds nothing to the discussion and only causes strife.

Do not question why someone comes to this website just because they disagree with you or the content of the article.

Do not post personal information including phone numbers, email or mailing addresses, or credit card information belonging to you or others.

Do not include copyrighted content or other intellectual property that you do not own or have the explicit rights or lisenses to distribute.

Do not post, directly or through links, viruses, misleading, malicious or off-topic content.

Please consider the following statements pertaining to comments posted by you and other visitors to our website:

Appearance of comments, advertisements or hyperlinks made by other commenters on this site do not necessarily indicate or constitute acceptance of or endorsement of the products, companies, corporations, ministries, organizations or agencies in whole or in part by staff members and/or the members of the editorial board of Charisma Media.

Comments are not pre-screened before they post. Charisma Media reserves the right to modify or remove any comment that does not comply with the above guidelines and to deny access of your Disqus account to make additional comments to the website without any notice. If you have been denied access to comment due to a violation of these terms please do not create multiple accounts in an attempt to circumvent the system. The correct course of action is to request a review of your account status by contacting webmaster@charismamedia.com.

Charisma Media is not responsible or liable in any way for comments posted by its users.

If you believe a comment is in violation of the above guidelines, U.S. law or International treaties, or is legitimate "trolling" please flag the post or contact webmaster@charismamedia.com. Include a link to the comment, along with a statement explaining what you believe the violation is and any evidence backing your claim. Charisma Media moderators will consider your request and decide on the most appropriate action.